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Post by Shinko on Jan 27, 2015 7:54:17 GMT -5
Sieg said nothing in response to Zoya's remarks about war, but he did smile shakily in her direction so that she'd know he wasn't ignoring her. He just... really didn't want to dwell on that topic right now. When she suggested it was time to leave, Sieg nodded, standing. He really had no appetite now. "You're right. Orrin, you ready?" The three of them left Zoya's manor, heading back out into the crowded city. In spite of the festival atmosphere, Sieg couldn't help but feel in a glum mood. Though his lingering traumas about the fight with the dragon had been shared by now few of his comrades in the Nid'aigle company, he was the only one who so much residual pain from it so long after the fact. He couldn't help but feel that Zoya's sympathies were better extended to someone less... weak. They eventually arrived at the temple that Zoya had mentioned, and the half-elf glanced at their translator. "So, what now?" Scene transition: now the boys are at the temple to see if they can be permitted to inspect the body of the vampire's most recent victim.
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Post by Celestial on Jan 30, 2015 21:01:24 GMT -5
Zoya could not help but keep looking at Sieg as they treked through the city again. The celebrations had continued in full swing, though the number of revellers who were tipping over the point of slightly inebriated was growing. Certainly, some of the looks being cast in the direction of Sieg and Orrin were still less than friendly and Zoya had to tear her attention away from Sieg to cast an angry glare over in the direction of people who accompanied the looks with words. At least, she hoped, amidst the activity around them, those strange words would be lost on the two knights. The Trickster knew, neither of them needed that pressure on them right now. Perhaps the thoughts of the townspeople would turn more favourably towards them when they had proven their mettle and their benevolence to the community. Right now, however, they had to get this done first. Finally, they had arrived in the central square in which stood the temple dedicated to Ranumgen. Various wooden annexes sprawled out from a central stone core that supported three rounded belltowers, which loomed over Tarpan and the area surrounding it, its dominance proclaimed by the bells that currently rang out across the land. They easily dominated a landscape that was populated mostly by one or two storey houses, giving the temple an imposing air, something which was not alleviated by the lack of any kind of windows to break up its exterior. The wooden parts were masterfully carved, with depictions of animals and people seeming to appear out of the stone walls and out into the city, things that were occassionally broken up by numbers, numbers which were gaudily painted to make them stand out. But the stone exterior was rough and blank, creating a contrast that could not have been sharper if it had been worked on with a whetstone. There were several entrances, most of them clustered in the wooden parts of the building. Right now, however, they thronged with revellers that tried to reach the stalls that had been set up around them. Occassionally, through the crowd, it was possible to glimpse the plain-clothed stallkeepers which rushed from place to place, busy with the sale of various charms. At one point, a man with a hood that covered his eyes stepped out from the entrance, silencing the crowd and forcing them to part and bow to him. One old woman stepped out and seemed to say something to him in response to which he performed several complicated hand gestures and took out several small bones, throwing it violently down on the ground. She threw herself into the dirt to look at them but by that point, Zoya had moved past the display. "He was trying to see if the Trickster had any more pranks in store for her," she explained to the knights in case they saw. "Everyone here is trying to buy objects to try to safeguard them from his changable will or influence their luck. Or some just wish to amuse Ranumgen with pranks of their own." She led them through the crowds to the only entrance in the stone part of the building; an imposing, solid-iron gate, completely unadorned save for a large knocker. The noblewoma stopped in front of it and turned back to Sieg and Orrin. "I cannot promise you that you will get an audience. I will do my best but...people are scared. The priests are no exception. Added to the fact that the dead inhabit a different plane from the living, a plane which we believe should not be crossed and, well, it does breed some fear. At least the man has no family here who would object to two strangers going to see his body. That's the only reason I have some hope," she swallowed and held her head up high before stopping forward and grabbed the large knocker, giving it a single, forceful push. A second later, she put her other hand on it and repeated the action, though the noise it made this time was no louder than the previous one. Shortly, a little window opened up in the iron door. At first glance, the space behind it appeared black but there was a hint of an orange glow there. "Что вам угодно, Сударыня Соболь, но я надеюсь что вы помните что удачи мы сдесь не даем?" came a rough voice from behind the door. "Я не за удачей, гадальщик. Я тут по делу," Zoya looked right into where the eyes of the man would have been "Дай мне и этим солдатам посмотреть на тело мертвого которое вам сегодня утром доставили." "Вы с ума сошли?!" the man's voice acquired a shrill, high pitch. "Дать этим незнакомцам доступ к телу?! Мы не можем это позволить." "Эти незнакомци со мной, и более того, у них дело от Великого Князя. Какое, я не могу вам расказать но..." here, Zoya's eyes narrowed. "Bы что, хотите чтобы вас всех выгнали потому что вы не слушаите приказов от вашего нового хозяена?" There was a growl from him. "Мы не крепостники, мы никому не пренадлежим. Этот завоеватель не наш хозяин и мы не должны слушать его солдатов," there was a spitting sound from beyond "Или каких-то женщин предательской крови." Zoya's eyes widened and she put her hands on her hips. "Ах так...ну, тогда посмотрите на них," she stepped aside and gestured at the two knights, shooting the man a smile. "Посмотрите какие они странние. Они не просто рыцари Великого Князя, они посланники великого Шута. Ты хотел бы отказать своему хозяину и нашему Господю?" "H-нет..." the man' voice shook Zoya shot him another sweet smile. "Tогда впусти нас. Даже можешь нас сопроводить чтобы знать что они безобидние," here, she laughed, "Даже если они выглядять как посланники Шута не значить что они будут себя вести так же как он." The hole closed and there was the loud clanking of locks beyond the door before it finally opened. A large, bearded man shied away from the light that streamed into the temple and beckoned them inside impatiently. Zoya pulled a bundle from a small pounch in her belt and unfolded it, revealing to be a thin veil which she tied over her head. "Traditional, I can't go inside without covering my long hair," she explained as she tied it together, "You should be fine though, especially you, Sieg, even if you do have hair as long as some of the woman here" she laughed and shook her head before her expression turned serious. "The inside of the temple is very dark. There are candles by the front entrance and you should take them, lighting them from the candelabra above them. This will not only help you see but the priests will appreciate you following their traditions. It will make them a bit more happy about you being here." She laughed and shook her head again. "Please don't ask how I mananged to get you inside. I'll try to field any awkward questions but if they touch you, try to at least tolerate it. I am sorry but it will not be helped. They will want to see if you're real," the noblewoman's expression returned to a more businesslike one again. "Oh and try to be as quiet as you can. Stone echoes and this sanctum is supposed to be quiet." With that, Zoya stepped into the darkness of the stone temple. Zoya takes them to the Temple of Ranumgen, passing by some of the festival rituals on the way, and manages to talk the priests there into letting them inside, explaining a bit about traditions they have to observe.
And translations, because I had too much fun with this conversation: "What is it you wish, Madame Sable, though I hope you realise we do not give fortune out here?" "I am not here for luck, fortuneteller. I'm here on business. Let me and these soldiers look at the body delivered to you this morning." "Are you insane? Give these strangers access to the body? We cannot allow that." "These strangers are with me and furthermore, they have business from the Grand Duke. What, I am not sure whether I am allowed to tell you but...do you all want to be chased out because you don't listen to orders from your new master?" "We are not serfs, we belong to no-one. That conqueror is not our master and we should not listen to his soldiers. Or women of traitorous Kin." "Oh, that's how it is...then look at them. Look at how strange they are. They are not just sent by the Grand Duke, they are sent by the Great Jester [Ranumgen]. You would refuse your master and our Lord?" "N-no..." "Then let us in. You can even accompany us. Even if they look like they were sent by the Great Jester, doesn't mean they have to behave like him."
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Post by Shinko on Feb 8, 2015 22:35:46 GMT -5
Sieg frowned at Zoya's remark about his hair, somewhat baffled. Glancing up at Orrin he muttered, "My hair's not... that long is it?" He knew plenty of men who had hair much longer than his. Perhaps it was a Langian cultural thing. Turning back to Zoya, the half-elf nodded at her instructions about the candles. "If it will endear us to them, even a tiny bit, I am certain we can oblige. The elves respect all gods, even those who do not patron them personally. I just hope I can reach," he added as a joke, nudging Orrin slightly. "Or Orrin might have to light two." With a wry smile he added, "And I am not unused to awkward questions, so I think I'll be alright." The half-elf followed Zoya into the building. Of course, being a temple belonging to a traditionally resource poor society, it was designed to accommodate those of short stature. Sieg had no issues reaching the candelabra, and lit his candle from it with a silent prayer of apology to the Lord Woo. Turning to the bearded man who'd let them in, Sieg gave a polite smile and nodded his head. Privately he doubted it would do terribly much good endearing him to the man, but it couldn't hurt to at least try to be polite. Turning back to Orrin Sieg more or less just does as instructed by Zoya, though with some commentary to Orrin. XD Don't want to jump the gun and take them to the body if there are more observances to see to first.
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Post by Omni on Feb 17, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5
As he watched the people going about their celebrations, Orrin wondered, again, why someone would worship a trickster. He figured trying to avoid getting pranked was understandable, but the level of respect didn't make much sense to him. Still, curious as he was, he didn't think now was the time to ask about it. To no real surprise, the temple priest didn't seem to like the knights, either. From the way he reacted, the half-dwarf had to wonder what exactly Zoya said to him. And her asking the knights not to ask her about it only made him wonder more. Still, he decided to leave it for now. "I just hope I can reach," Sieg commented about the candles, giving Orrin a light ribbing. "Or Orrin might have to light two."The half-dwarf gave a soft chuckle. "Or if ya need to light it yerself, I could give ya a boost." Before he continued into the temple, treading lightly and casually lighting a candle, he softly asked "Is there a tradition about avoidin' the sunlight and keepin' the temple dark? ...And quiet?" Orrin wonders about things and asks about the lack of lighting and sound in the temple.
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Post by Celestial on Feb 19, 2015 15:06:36 GMT -5
A smile appeared on Zoya's s face at Sieg's baffled expression She waited until the two knights were inside and had lit their own candles before the noblewoman stepped forward and picked one of the thin tallow sticks, reaching up to light the wick from the candelabra above her. It gave off a soft glow, illuminating the pathway deeper into the temple itself. Once that was done, she turned to Orrin. "Yes. Both the silence and the darkness work so that the Great Jester cannot easily find us. But if you need a prayer answered, the silence helps him hear while the darkness provides us with some cover. If the Jester has to actively look for you, he will be too tired by the time he finds you for a prank. Therefore, there is more chance of said prayer being granted," she explained, sheilding her candle with her palm to stop it sputtering in the breeze that was coming in from the open door. The priest behind them gave a hiss of annoyance and Zoya immediately bowed her head, indicating that she was going to be silent. Satisfied, he closed the door behind them with a large thunk that echoed through the cold stone halls of the temple. Only the light from their candles remained. Without a word, the man picked up the metal candle holder that he had set down near the box of the smaller, tallow candles, his own lightsource, and proceeded to the front of the knights and the noblewoman. There was no indication that they should follow him, only the implicit expectation that they would. Zoya picked up on it immediately and set off on after him, her eyes focused right on the darkness ahead of her and her jaw tightening as she seemed to brace herself for what she was going to find. As they headed deeper, their candles vaguely illuminated shapes painted on to the walls. The silhouettes of animals and people alike, all of them different. None of the animals, however, were creatures that could see well in the dark. Beyond the walls, the distant echo as though coming from a dream, chants in the Langean language were being sung by deep-voiced priests. Occassionally, some of the men passed them by and when they did, their eyes widened at the sight of Sieg and Orrin. As they walked away, they wondered if the people they saw were even real or tricks of the already dim light. They descended down some steps, going deeper and deeper into the inner sanctum. Here, the walls were bare, dark stone and there was a distant dripping and scampering of rats. The priest turned a corner and then stopped at a door. He looked over the two knights and their guide, giving them a warning glare, before opening it. There were several stone slabs in the darkened room beyond but only one was occupied. A sheet lay on the floor, outlining the corpse that lay below in a vague, pale sketch of creases and bumps. Zoya shivered, making the flame of her candle flicker. She turned to Sieg, lifting up her light so that he could see the fear and distress in her eyes. "You...you go. I'm not going closer. If I see it up close, I will be sick," she whispered. "If you have questions to ask the priest, I will translate but...please, Sieg, please don't make me look at it." Zoya lights her candle and explains what it is for. They are led deeper into the temple by the priest until they come across the corpse of the merchant, but Zoya can't stomach it.
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Post by Shinko on Feb 21, 2015 8:15:34 GMT -5
Again Zoya zeroed in on Sieg and ignored Orrin. Though the half-elf wanted to sigh, he bit back the impulse. It wasn't like her having a crush on him was really hurting anything, and up until now she'd just favored him with her attention. Now though, it was like she was ignoring Orrin was even there. Still, Sieg didn't want to get snappy with her again, especially not in light of her request. "It's understandable," he said. "It... takes time, to learn to disassociate." He glanced at Orrin, jerking his head into the room. "Shall we?" Sieg led the way into the room, kneeling next to the sheet where he could see the head of the corpse. Very gently, trying to be as respectful as he could, he peeled back the covering. It took about five seconds to find what he was looking for- a round, viscous looking bite mark gouged into the skin of the merchant's neck. The half-elf winced, leaning the head aside gently to get a better look and shifting so that Orrin could see as well. "Whatever did this was definitely neither gentle nor concerned if he survived or not," He muttered very softly, so that hopefully only Orrin would hear, "Looks like it's right over the big neck vein- unless by some wild fluke someone else had found him he would have bled out pretty fast." Sieg is slightly exasperated with Zoya's blatant favoritism, but he feels bad for her so says nothing about it. Instead he leads the way into the room where the body is, so he and Orrin can start examining it for clues to the nature of their enemy.
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Post by Omni on Feb 25, 2015 17:51:11 GMT -5
Orrin did his best to keep an eye on Zoya and the priest as they led the way through the darkened corridors. If this jester couldn't navigate his own temple in the dark, there certainly wasn't any hope of the half-dwarf making his way around should he lose track of the guides. He would sometimes feel eyes on him, but didn't dare spare more than the occasional glance in return. They made their way to a room that reminded Orrin of the undertaker's place back in Halflinger, save for the darkness and how much stone there was. The white sheet stood out against the stone and the darkness, making the subject they were looking for easy to find. Zoya shivered, turning directly toward Sieg and illuminating her face, whispering softly to the half-elf that she didn't want to see the body. Orrin found himself lowering an eyebrow. Something seemed odd about the way she directed her request at Sieg. Frankly, it unsettled the Stallion knight. Of course, the knights had something else unsettling to attend to. Sieg reminded the half-dwarf of this, turning to him and gesturing to indicate that they should take a closer look. The half-elf gently pulled the sheet back until a very obvious bite mark was revealed. "Whatever did this was definitely neither gentle nor concerned if he survived or not," Sieg muttered. "Looks like it's right over the big neck vein- unless by some wild fluke someone else had found him he would have bled out pretty fast."Orrin nodded in agreement, holding his candle closer to the wound to examine it more closely. "Don't think I've seen a bite like this before," he said quietly. "Looks like those teeth were all pointy. It does still look like it's from somethin' about human-size. ...Maybe shaped a little like one, too. The bite doesn't seem shaped right for a dog or somethin'." Pausing, the half-dwarf turned back to to their translator, and asked "Where was the man found?" Orrin also thinks the way Zoya turned to Sieg was odd. He notices the bite was from all-pointed teeth, but thinks the bite looks vaguely human otherwise. He then asks where the merchant was found.
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Post by Celestial on Feb 26, 2015 19:21:05 GMT -5
She smiled at Sieg as he reassured her but as the knights approached the body, the noblewoman hung back, staying by the doorway. The darkness helped conceal the body and Zoya stared straight ahead while the knights proceeded to examine the corpse. She seemed to be trying to pretend like it was not there but occassionally, her gaze flickered back to it, lingering for a mere second before she turned away again. Above all, however, she was trying not to look at the mark and blood that was caked around the wound of the merchant. At Orrin's words, however, she looked up sharply and blinked as though distracted from some trance. Zoya gave a short, small nod and turned to the priest, translating the question that Orrin asked into Langean. The man did not hesitate before giving her a short, curt answer, straight to the point. Zoya bowed her head and then turned to the knights, her shoulders slumping. "He says he was not told. The man was brought to them like that in the early hours of the morning. They have been holding him here until he could be cremated," she told Sieg and Orrin, translating the man's words. Her tone was full of regret. "I'm sorry, this was probably not the answer you were looking for." Zoya hangs back and then asks the priest the question before giving the boys a reply. Standard translation stuff.
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Post by Shinko on Feb 27, 2015 12:03:35 GMT -5
"Yeah, you're right," Sieg muttered in response to Orrin's comment about the bite mark. "I've never seen an animal with all of it's teeth sharp like this. Even animals that eat meat exclusively have flatter grinding teeth in the back of their mouths." While Zoya talked to the priest, Sieg pulled back more of the cloth, carefully peeling back the man's sleeves to look at his arms, then his torso. When she called out her response to Orrin's question, the Nid'aigle knight sighed. "And with all the strangers in town for the festival, I imagine it's probably pointless to ask if he knows the person who brought him in so we can ask them directly. Our timing is impeccable, it seems." To Orrin, he said more softly, "I don't see any bruises or marks on him anywhere except for the neck. No signs of any sort of struggle. Even if the vampire had hit him by surprise, he should have been able to fight back at least a little and taken some injuries where it restrained him. That seems consistent with what Stephen told us about it hypnotizing people. Take over their mind, so they do whatever you want them to without a fuss. It also matches with what Zoya mentioned earlier about none of the survivors remembering the vampire well. A handful having post-traumatic amnesia would make perfect sense but all of them? That's far too much of a coincidence." He shuddered a little at this. "That is... disconcerting, I'm not going to lie. I'm not really sure how we can guard against it. If we can. We'll definitely need to keep our guards up for it, at the very least." Sieg makes more deductions based on his examination of the body, and has a bit of a "Brrrr" moment at the idea of the vampire being able to hypnotize people.
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Post by Omni on Mar 1, 2015 21:12:25 GMT -5
"That is... disconcerting, I'm not going to lie. I'm not really sure how we can guard against it. If we can. We'll definitely need to keep our guards up for it, at the very least.""What worries me is it's goin' to be hard to gather good info," the half-Dwarf told his fellow knight. "We can't talk to people directly, can't read, and if the priest's behavior is standard..." Orrin shook his head. "We gotta do somethin', of course. It's just really lookin' like an uphill battle. I kinda wish we'd at least been told about the language here... We don't even have a good place to start lookin'!" The Stallion knight paused, turning to Zoya once more. "Would ya ask if he knows anythin' that might help?" Orrin expresses frustration at how nigh-futile the situation seems. He asks their translator if they can get any sort of lead.
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Post by Celestial on Mar 3, 2015 6:17:03 GMT -5
Zoya nodded and bowed her head, shrinking even further away from the knights as she felt their displeasure at the circumstances surrounding the death. She heard Sieg and Orrin talking amongst themselves and she guessed what the subject was but all she could catch was their tone. However, it was enough. It was time to face facts: as much as she wanted to help and as much as she wanted the knights to be pleased with her work, these were circumstances beyond her control. The stone chamber amplified Orrin's voice, turning the simple statement into a thundering cry which made the priest's eyes turn as hard as the stone slab on which the corpse rested. He swept his gaze first across the knights before landing squarely on her. The noblewoman flinched and carefully approached the two knights, all the while trying with great effort not to look at the body laid bare in front of her. "Umm...could you please be quiet, Sir Ironbeard? I think we're already pushing tempers enough. But...I am sorry I cannot be more help, I really am. I'm doing everything I can for you but if my services aren't good enough, you just have to say so," she clasped her hands, fidgeting with her fingers. Zoya then turned back to the priest, speaking to him in Langean. After a few curt phrases were exchanged, she turned back to the knights. "He doesn't know much beyond what I have told you, like most people in town. I don't know if you would want a prayer of protection to be said over you, or whether you would want to make use of any of the charms to ward off evil and possession that they have, since you're not of our religion," she translated his words for him. "If not, perhaps we should go? If you have everything-" She turned and her eyes came to rest on the corpse. It should only have been a brief glance but Zoya found her eyes absolutely fixated on it. The paleness of the dead flesh, the scarlet bitemark, the points of the teeth and the dried blood caked around his throat... Blood...her breathing grew rapid and she froze, her dark brown eyes wide with horror. As much as she wanted to, she could not tear her eyes away from the body of the dead man. The noblewoman's hands flew up to the collar of her dress as she clutched at the elaborate patterns. She couldn't scream. Not here, not in the near silence of the temple. But she wanted to. Zoya can feel the knights are unhappy and quietly tells Orrin off for being loud before she speaks with the priest some more. She conveys his offer of prayer and token assistance (literally) before she accidentally looks at the corpse and has a panic attack.
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Post by Shinko on Mar 3, 2015 7:47:26 GMT -5
Much as Sieg himself was frustrated by their lack of clues, he'd been trying to make the best of what they had and accept what they didn't as beyond help. Orrin's outburst startled him, and he looked up at the half-dwarf with concern. Remembering what Orrin had said about his temper, the Nid'aigle knight pulled off the glove he'd been handling the corpse with to put a hand on Orrin's shoulder. "Easy Orrin. Getting frustrated isn't going to help us any, and snapping at these people will only make them like us less. I'm as frustrated as you are." Zoya approached them then, reminding them of the need to be as quiet as possible in the temple. Sieg winced at her words, averting his gaze while she talked to the priest again. This was just not his day. Before he could really try to wrap his mind around the offer of Ranumgenist charms or prayers to assist them, however, Zoya cut herself off mid-sentence. He glanced at her, frowning, to find that she was looking down at the corpse with an expression of stark terror on her face. Alarm jolted through him as he remembered her earlier request not to be made to look at it. Woo, is she..."Zoya?" he called softly. When she didn't react, he internally cursed his own idiocy for not realizing this might happen. Of course there was more to her request to not see the body than squeamishness. Guilt for his earlier aggravation with her clinginess gnawed at him. He knelt down, pulling the sheet back over the body to break her gaze on it. Standing again, he reached out with his still ungloved hand and touched her shoulder to get her attention. "Zoya, it's alright. It's gone, you're safe. Don't look at it, look at me, okay? Don't shut your eyes, trust me it won't help- try to focus on my face instead." He held up the candle a little higher in his other hand, letting it's light play off of his reflective amber eyes in the hopes it might catch and hold her gaze and give her a distraction from the body. Softly, trying to reassure her with a calm voice, he added, "I'm sorry you had to see that, I know it's horrible. But we're going to stop it, I promise. There won't be anymore bodies, no more victims. We're going to help. It might not be easy, but we'll figure this out, I swear it." Sieg tries to calm Orrin. Then he has a cute moment of trying to comfort Zoya, because he's a sweet dork knight.
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Post by Omni on Mar 9, 2015 18:44:23 GMT -5
The half-dwarf shook his head. "Sorry. Just feelin' a little... stuck, I guess," he said. "I guess a prayer or charm wouldn't hurt. We need all the help we can get..." When Sieg noticed Zoya, the half-elf's action also brought her to Orrin's attention. Ah, of course... He'd actually wondered if she or someone she knew had an encounter with the vampire, but he'd forgotten about it in the moment. He didn't think jumping in to help would do any good with Sieg already there. If anything, he might accidentally startle her. Instead, he just stood up slowly and waited nearby, in case he was needed. He hoped that maybe he could offer some comfort without being startling or smothering. Orrin figures they could use anything that might help. He notices Zoya's reaction, but thinks in this case it might be better not to interfere.
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Post by Celestial on Mar 13, 2015 11:56:13 GMT -5
Even when Sieg covered the body with the sheet, shielding her eyes from the horror of the dead man, the memories were still burned into her retinas. Even though she was aware of his touch, the noblewoman's limbs were frozen and she still drew in several deep, panicked breaths, even though her body refused to move. Only when Sieg's words broke through her trance did she finally manage to move her head slowly to face him, even though the effort required felt herculean. Nevertheless, she did as she was told, staring into his amber eyes and as the light flickered in them, lighting them up like finely cut gems, she slowly came to her senses. The glittering of the candleflame in Sieg's eyes drove out the images of the dead merchant. Zoya relaxed, lowering her eyes to look at the stone of the temple floor. "I am so sorry you had to see that," she whispered, bowing to Sieg and then Orrin in turn. "Ever since these attacks began, I have tried to avoid looking at the bodies. They are a..." she swallowed and closed her eyes briefly, pausing and looking unsure. "A reminder. That's all I'll say for now." The smile on her face returned as turned back to Sieg. "Thank you, however, for bringing me out of it. You seemed to know just what to do about me, for which I am very grateful. You'll have to tell me where you learned that technique." The noblewoman, now fully recovered, turned on her feel and addressed both the knights. "If you have everything here that you need, I think we should go. Even without....that," she pointed to the corpse, this time making sure to avert her gaze, "These temples make me feel uneasy. There's too much of the Trickster's presense here." As if on cue, a mouse scuttled over Orrin's feet and looked up at him, its whiskers twitching as light reflected off its beady eyes. It looked between him and Sieg before giving Zoya a glance and continuing to scuttle around. The noblewoman, meanwhile, had turned back to the priest in ragged robes and spoke with him in Langean before she returned her attention to Sieg and Orrin. "I took the intiative and asked him to pray for us, I hope you don't mind. But it cannot hurt our cause. However," she smiled widely and clasped her hands in front of her, "I have as much faith in you as I do in Ranumgen. If you swore you're going to help us, I know you will. You will kill this vampire and make this town safe." There was a squeak from the mouse as it continued to snuffle around Orrin's feet, scampering over the toes of his right foot. "Let's go now. Perhaps we can also ask questions in the town before night falls," Zoya said quietly and turned towards the door. She called to the priest and he nodded, taking the lead as they prepared to exit the temple. Zoya comes out of her panic attack thanks to Sieg's pretty eyes and thanks Sieg for it, asking how he knew how to do that. She then tells the knights that maybe it's time to go, if they have gathered everything they need to know.
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Post by Shinko on Mar 14, 2015 14:32:50 GMT -5
Sieg wasn't entirely surprised when Zoya asserted that the bodies were some sort of reminder for her- he'd gleaned as much from her reaction. When she asked him where he'd learned how to deal with panic attacks and trauma triggers, he averted his gaze. "You're welcome. But I... I'd rather not discuss it. I'm sure you understand." His heart constricted with sympathy for her, but he really didn't think Zoya needed to hear about his issues when she clearly had her own, nor was now the time for that anyway. As she spoke to the priest Sieg bit his lip, glancing down at the candle flame with an involuntary shudder. He'd long ago desensitized himself to little flames like this, but... He still remembered when even the smallest spark or faintests trace of smoke smell had sent him into a vivid flashback. Mutely, he stepped back to stand next to Orrin, nodding with a wan smile that he hoped would look reassuring in the darkeness when Zoya spoke of her faith in them. He jumped a little when he heard the mouse and saw it scampering over Orrin's foot, but dismissed it again without much thought. "Lead on. The sooner we learn as much as we can, the sooner we can figure out how to solve this mess." Sieg has sad feels, and doesn't talk much. He needs a hug. T^T
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